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The NHTSA is the US gov't agency tasked with vehicle safety. Complaints can be spread across multiple & redundant categories, & are not organized by problem. See the Back button — blue bar at the very top of the page — to explore more.

Get notified about new defects, investigations, recalls & lawsuits for the 2002 Chevrolet Silverado 2500:

Silverado 2500 4WD 8-cyl Diesel

Automatic transmission

47,000 miles

I own a 2002 Chevy Silverado 1 ton dual wheel pick up - extended cab. For the last 8 months I have been having problems with the anti lock brakes pulsating at low speeds (under 10 mph when I am trying to stop. I was previously injured in an automobile accident and have over 12 disks in my neck, mid and lower back, I am classified as totally and permanently disabled. This truck is my only means of transportation to and from doctor appts and medical treatment, I have contacted my dealership about the problem and was advised that only vehicles in Canada were being recalled for this problem, if I wanted it fixed it would cost approx. $350. I now live on ssi disability and only receive $841 per month, I cannot afford to have this vehicle fixed and the problem is getting worse every day. It has happened well over 1000 times and pretty much does it now ever time I push the brake pedal. What am I supposed to do"?? do I just wait until I lose control of my vehicle while braking and hit someone causing more damage to myself and possible another innocent person or are you going to force GM to fix this disaster" please advise me of my options and what I so do or whom I should contact - I need my truck fixed!

Silverado 2500 4WD 8-cyl

Automatic transmission

18,000 miles

I just heard of GM's recall on ABS braking systems. I have a 02 Silverado that has had this same problem two separate times. When the brakes were applied it felt like no pedal then it would pulsate. Which you could feel through the pedal. Both times the dealership said the sensors were to blame. The second time it happened they did not want to fix without pay. Since it had happened a couple months earlier.

Silverado 2500 8-cyl

Automatic transmission

300 miles

Caller said that brakes failed often, and he did not know what to do with the vehicle. The caller had a problem with the brakes since after he purchasing the vehicle. The brakes faiedl at all speeds and under any driving condition. He said the brakes failed about 50 times. The caller's wife hit a deer when there was only 300 miles on the vehicle, she could not stop the vehicle. The caller was involved had a collision due to brake failure while driving at 25 mph with 8000 miles no vehicle. No one was hurt, but the vehicle sustained damage. He said the vehicle has been sitting since November. Dealer told the caller he could not drive a vehicle with anti lock brakes. The dealer could not duplicate the problem or what wrong with it. They refused to work on it anymore. Manufacturer wanted the caller to pay for all the work to find whats wrong with it, and if they found the cause of the problem they would pay him back, but if they did not find anything wrong they will not pay for it. A police report was taken.

Silverado 2500 4WD 8-cyl

Automatic transmission

41,000 miles

The contact states when coming to almost a complete stop the sensor that detects ABS kicks in and vehicle just keeps going. This happens at low speeds of 5 mph or less. Once the ABS kicks in it almost seems like vehicle accelerates. He noticed this about 2 weeks ago. Mechanic had him call the GM dealer, and they verified the problem. But because there was not a recall they could not do anything. Also called the manufacturer, and they made an appointment to diagnose the problem and go from there. When the contact bought the truck it had 19,000 miles on it. At 21,000 there were brake problems. Had new rotors/pads put on the back, resurfaced the front and put pads on the front. At 37,000 the contact was on a trip and the brakes starting clattering and screeching from the back. They told him the discs were so rusted they destroyed the brake pads, and he had to replace everything.

Silverado 2500 4WD 8-cyl

Automatic transmission

19,600 miles

ABS sensors have failed on front wheels causing ABS to engage each time the vehicle slows to a stop. Stopping is unpredictable. One crash was narrowly avoided when the front brakes did lock up at the last second. Appointment has been scheduled to replace both front hubs at my cost.

Silverado 2500 4WD 8-cyl

Automatic transmission

2,500 miles

2002 Chevy 1500 Silverado anti lock brake failure.at slow speed stoping brake pedal goes to the floor, anti lock brakes activate, truck won't stop, grinding type noises coming from brakes, at 25,000 miles all 4 rotors were badly rusted and worn.replace all rotors and shoes, still had problem. Had all speed sensors on meter, shows no problem.have read articles and complaints about this problem with this model and year and that Chevy had recall in Canada but not U.S. I have came close to rear ending cars in front of me.this vehicle is a hazzard and should be recalled.

Silverado 2500 4WD 8-cyl

Automatic transmission

75,700 miles

Upon stopping at very slow speed, the ABS brakes felt like they activated, causing loss of braking power, causing collision with parked vehicle. Vehicle was brought into shop, diagnostic showed faulty front/left speed sensor. This part was replaced, vehicle was road tested, and all appeared to be okay. After driving less than 300 miles, vehicle is experiencing same problems.

Silverado 2500 4WD 8-cyl

Automatic transmission

15,000 miles

2002 Chevy Silverado 4X4, 60,000 miles, anti-lock brakes activate at low speeds (5-0 mph)when stopping. Was to the dealer several times for this problem when vehicle was new, with unsatisfactory results, (problem was temporarily fixed, but ultimately returned). The problem remains to this day. I have heard of many others with this same problem, even a recall in Canada to correct this problem. Jeff plungis of the detroit news wrote an article in late may/early June about this ongoing problem GM has. So far there has been no damage or accidents because of this problem, just a few close calls. But my wife refuses to drive the truck. What are the chances GM will own up to this failure and recall these vehicles to finally make the correct repairs.

Silverado 2500 4WD 8-cyl

Automatic transmission

32,000 miles

The brakes are working poorly. Pedal goes to the floor before it stops the vehicle. The caller says it has been like that since he purchased the vehicle. Dealer will not fix it for free. Manufacturer has not been contacted yet. When the brakes were applied the consumer felt a vibration as if the ABS activated.

Silverado 2500 6-cyl

Automatic transmission

45,000 miles

I currently am having problems with the ABS sensor on my 2002 Chevy Silverado 1500 pickup truck. I have done some research and found an investigation that is open on this problem. The truck is having the same problems as described in the investigation report, and on several occasions in the past month or so the truck has had trouble stopping. I am taking it in for service tomorrow, as there is no recall on this. I would like add my complaint to the file to make you aware of another person experiencing this problem. There are currently 45,000 miles on this truck. I am submitting 15 failures, but it has trouble almost every time I stop, and has for the past month. Unfortunately I didn't have the money to fix it until now, so I only drove it sparingly.

Silverado 2500 4WD 8-cyl

Automatic transmission

19,300 miles

In may of 2005 while approaching a stop light at slow speed, on dry pavement, the ABS brakes, in my 2002 Chevrolet Silverado, activated causing the vehicle to require a greater than normal stopping distance. No accident occurred. The incident seemed isolated. Then in June, the problem continued and became more and more frequent. When pulling into a parking space at a slow speed I was just barely able to come to a stop within the confines of the parking space. Although no particular accident has occurred I strongly feel that this is a very unsafe and potentially dangerous problem. The vehicle has only 19,000 miles on it. The vehicle was brought to hadad Chevrolet in pittsfield, MA where we were told it would cost between $270 and $920 to fix. We have called Chevrolet to see if the manufacturer is responsible for fixing the problem but they had not even heard of the problem. The problem has not yet been corrected as we are investigated the manufacturer's responsibility and the most economical repair for our problem.

Silverado 2500 4WD

Silverado 2500 4WD 8-cyl

Automatic transmission

30,000 miles

At low speeds the front anti-lock brakes on my 2002 cheverlot Silverado 4WD truck engage making it very difficult to stop. If not for the emergency brake I would have hit a car pulling into the gas station.

Silverado 2500 4WD 8-cyl

Automatic transmission

14,000 miles

Contact stated brakes were not working correctly. All 4 rotors were rusted after 14,000 miles. He noticed this approximately 2 weeks ago after taking the truck on a trip. When he took vehicle to service dealer he was told that all of the rotors were rusted. He did not notice any problems prior to this because he did not drive this truck very much. A 2002 Chevrolet Silverado with only 14,000 miles on it. Has been on the internet and saw where he saw similar complaints about brakes failing.

Silverado 2500 6-cyl

Automatic transmission

800 miles

The consumer states that the brakes on his 2002 Chevrolet Silverado are sluggish and making noise and they feel like they are grabbing. The vehicle has been in the shop 3 times for the brakes. They brakes feel like they do not stop when applying brake pressure. The brake pedal feels spongy. The dealer changed three rotors and brakes pads. The dealer could not get the rotor off on the back and the consumer did not know what was wrong with it. The dealership broke the ABS sensor. The consumer took the truck back to the dealership and they replaced the sensor. The owner of the truck has never contacted GM. The vehicle is regularly maintained and serviced. The consumer has expericined brake problems for 3 years.

Silverado 2500

Silverado 2500 4WD 8-cyl

Automatic transmission

46,000 miles

The consume states that the parking brake is not holding on 2002 Chevrolet Silverado. This has been an issue for about a month. The owner has taken the truck to the dealership, and they classified it as a normal wear item. They dealer is not going to replace this for free. There is a recall on the manual transmissions but not the automatic. But the owner says that they share the same parking brake system. The owner has contacted the manufacturer, and they were aware of the problem, , and stated that there was no recall. NHTSA recall 05V161000. On manual transmission. The owner was going to have this fixed, but it will be at his expense. There were no prior problems with the truck. There is about 60% of the brake lining left on the back brakes. The owner is pushing the brake to the floor and it is not working.

Silverado 2500 4WD 8-cyl

Automatic transmission

36,000 miles

When applying the brakes, the pedal kicks up and the vehicle is difficult to stop. The stopping distance has at least doubled. I found that the anti-lock brake speed sensor quit working with 37000 miles on the truck. I unplugged the sensor and the brakes are working fine (without anti lock brakes).

Silverado 2500 4WD 8-cyl

Automatic transmission

50,615 miles

Prior to the crash I'll describe, I noticed that the antilock brakes on my truck would engage randomly at low speeds, even though the road was clear and dry. I never received any indication from indicator lights or the truck's status display that there was a malfunction in progress. Until the incident below, braking control always returned within a few seconds and seemed to pose no safety threat. On this particular evening, they had performed without incident all the way home from work. I pulled into my driveway and into my garage. Upon entering the garage proper, the antilock brakes engaged. The garage floors (and driveway) were both clear of any snow, ice, or liquids. When the antilock brakes took control, it released the brakes and locked the brake pedal in such a way that I could not regain control. This time, I was unable to push the pedal down. My vehicle subsequently stuck the workbench along the back wall of my garage. The impact pushed the entire garage wall out almost 12 inches, including the cement block foundation. Fortunately, there was no damage to the vehicle. However, the damage to the garage remains. To correct the failure, a mechanic at a local dealership removed the fuse that controls the antilock brake functions, essentially disabling the antilock system. Due to the nature and location of the antilock sensors (in the wheel bearings), repairs are not financially feasible at this time. The truck's brakes function normally with the antilock system disabled. I believe that this complaint directly relates to NHTSA action number PE05020.